1. Field of Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to devices and methods for cooling a room, such as a wiring closet.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In recent years, with the increasing use of the Internet and networked computer systems for businesses of all sizes, there is an increasing need for additional data center infrastructure to support the power and cooling needs of computer equipment. In the past, typical power consumption for an equipment enclosure in a data facility was on the order of 1 kW. With the use of server blades and other high power density equipment in equipment racks, there is an ever-increasing demand for additional power in equipment racks. Typically, the power consumed by computer equipment is converted to heat and the cooling requirements of computer equipment is generally determined based on the power requirements of the equipment.
Typical large data centers utilize one or more computer room air conditioners (CRACs) or computer room air handlers (CRAHs) to provide cool air for computing equipment. In smaller facilities, computing equipment is often contained in a wiring closet or small room. The cooling for the computing equipment in this case is typically obtained from the facility air conditioning system, but with the increasing power draw of computer equipment, the ducting and distribution of cool air in wiring closets is often inadequate. To overcome these inadequacies, it is common to leave the door of a wiring closet open, which can be undesirable for aesthetic and security reasons. It is also common to have an electrician install a fan to provide greater air flow. These fans are typically standalone devices that are available from an electrical supply company, and are frequently not reliable.